Tony Conner

Watercolor artist Tony Conner painted Leftovers from direct observation – or “en plein air” – at the West Pawlet (Vermont) Slate Quarry, along Rt 153. He was inspired to paint quarries after touring the Slate Valley area which sparked an interest in the slate industry and its effect on the economy, the people and the landscape of the area. “Leftovers was begun as an afterthought,” says the artist. “I set up to paint a different scene and was well into the painting when I noticed this particular pile of slag and leftovers. The faces of the many, many pieces of scrap slate were catching the overhead light in so many different ways. I was struck with the notion that the heap of slag was sparkling like a diamond and wanted to catch the effect in paint.” “My very first reaction when seeing and visiting slate quarries and their environs was “heavy”. Like slate material itself, the industry seems heavy and serious. Translating that feeling into paint required the use of techniques that would have the finished painting communicate this feeling without seeming forbidding.”

“One of the common misconceptions about watercolor is that it is useful only for light, airy, and somewhat dreamy subjects,” says Conner. “In fact, it is a very versatile medium, capable of a very wide range of expression. It is also very good at producing the impression, if not the realistic look of, a variety of textures – very important for both paintings in this exhibition.” # # # # #